The Forever War

I bought this book because the author was the special guest at a lectureship in a nearby town, and I wanted a copy to get autographed. It wasn't long after starting the book that I bought quite a few more because I simply loved it.

I knew going in that the message of the book is a general (loud and clear) anti-war message. And that coincides with my beliefs. Of course, most people are surely anti-war, but for some like myself, I think we should exhaust all other means before going to war.

The book begins in our past (well, at the time it was written, it still was the future). The majority of the story is about William Mandella as he climbs the ranks of the military after being drafted right out of college. Earth is fighting a far, far away enemy, and because of the distance, a lot of Earth time passes in between battles that happen quickly from the soldier's perspective. Due to these huge spans of time, I think the author had the opportunity to explore so many different topics and visions of the future.

Just one of the ideas explored is the draft. Only physically fit and intelligent men and women are drafted. Once drafted, they go through rigorous training in which it is known and expected that not all will live through. There are some interesting ideas about sex thrown in as well. The women are pretty much expected to have a lot of sex, likely to keep the men stable? Not sure, but interesting nonetheless.

The first attack by the Earth on the enemy is deeply cringe-worthy. It definitely seems unwarranted. The aliens seem complacent, uncaring, and we seem aggressive and hateful.

Each time Mandella goes back to Earth or back to a close base, a lot of time has passed. I loved some of the visions of the future the author had the chance to explore because of this. One is that the future becomes so overpopulated that homosexuality becomes the norm (encouraged by the powers that be). It's a dystopian future in which most citizens have weapons, even bodyguards, and expect violence.

This war lasts 1,143 years. The Earth had become so economically dependent on war that it just had to be kept up. And in the end, those involved didn't even remember why it began. There is definitely some parallel today to that concept as America continues to linger in the Middle East, and countless corporations and government agencies depend on the war for livelihood. I just hope we avoid this dismal future that Haldeman has envisioned.

Fantastic read that has stood the test of time!